Cutoff device



March 17, 1970 v D. LANDMAN 3,500,709

CUTOFF DEVICE Filed Oct. 31, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TERMINAL FEED FINGERTERMINAL FEED FIG.2 26 08 I4 we I [O0 58 E? 7464 104 I02 n4 1 H6 76 1 T-42 3 52 22 20-U LI IL; L, w I2 24 w 44 T so i 62 86 I 54 2a I 0 I l f I]l l l I ll 34 I l INVENTOR l DIRK LANDMAN ATTORNEYS March 17, 1970Q'LANDMAN I 3,500,709

- CUTOFF DEVICE Filed 001:. 31. 1967 I26 0 44 Q a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I4'06 no l V m DIRK LANDMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,500,709 CUTOFF DEVICE Dirk Landman, Mechanicsburg, Pa., assignor to Berg Electronics,Inc., New Cumberland, Pa., :1 corporation of Pennnsylvauia Filed Oct.31, 1967, Ser. No. 679,389 Int. Cl. B26d 5/20, 5/16 U.S. Cl. 83278 8Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cut-0h. device is provided forsevering a terminal from a chain of terminals. The severed terminal issubsequently staked onto a terminal board. The cut-off device includes afixed cutting blade structure and a movable cutting blade structurewhich coact to sever the terminal. An actuator is pivotally mounted onthe movable cutting blade structure. The actuator has a cam follower. Acam having a pair of cam surfaces is caused to move through a forwardstroke and contact the cam follower to drive the actuator and movablecutting blade structure to sever a terminal. The cam passes by the camfollower on the forward stroke. Upon the return stroke, the cam againcontacts the cam follower. However, the actuator is free to pivot in thereverse direction and does not cause movement of the movable cuttingblade structure on the return stroke of the cam.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is adapted for use inconnection with a staking machine. The type of staking machine referredto is one which provides automatic means for staking a plurality ofterminals onto a terminal board. Such machines are designed for massproduction and desirably operate at relatively high speeds in order topermit an operator to produce a maximum number of finished boards perunit of time.

The terminals are normally fed into the staking machine in the form of aterminal chain. Each terminal must be severed from the chain in order topermit staking thereof onto the terminal board. The staking deviceincludes a fixed anvil and movable punch. In the past, a movable cuttingblade structure had been directly associated with the punch to sever theterminal upon movement of the punch to stake the terminal onto theterminal board. The direct association of the cutting blade with thepunch limits the operations which may be performed on the terminal, suchas bending a portion of a terminal before staking it onto a board. Thepresent invention provides a cut-off device for severing the terminalfrom the chain which is isolated from the punch. This isolation permitsother operations to be performed on the terminal prior to staking of theterminal onto the terminal board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A cut-off device is provided for severing aterminal from a chain of terminals. The cut-off device comprises supportmeans for a chain of terminals. A fixed cutting blade structure and amovable cutting blade structure are provided. The blade structures arepositioned to coact to sever a terminal from the chain. An actuator ismounted on the movable cutting blade structure. A cam structure isprovided in operable relation to the actuator. Means are provided todrive the cam structure through a forward stroke and return stroke. Thecam structure contacts the actuator on both strokes. The actuator isoperably connected to the movable blade structure upon contact of theactuator by the cam structure on the forward stroke to cause severing ofa terminal. The actua- 3,500,709 Patented Mar. 17,1970

tor is operably disconnected from the movable blade structure uponcontact thereof by the cam structure on.

the return stroke.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of one embodiment of the cut-ofidevice of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the device of FIGURE 1 withportions in section for the purpose of clarity;

FIGURES 3-6 are side elevational views similar to FIGURE 2 illustratingone cycle of operations.

The cut-off device 10 is adapted for, but not restricted to, use inconnection with a staking machine such as illustrated in co-pendingUnited States patent application Ser. No. 679,675 filed Nov. 1, 1967,for Staking Machine. The staking machine disclosed in the co-pendingapplication functions to successively stake terminals onto an arcuate orsemi-circular terminal board 12. The terminal board is of the type usedin electrical apparatus. The staking structure is provided in a punchpress which has a lower fixed die shoe and an upper movable die shoe.The lower die shoe carries a support structure for the terminal board12.

A staking mechanism is provided. The staking mechanism includes a punchelement 14 mounted on the upper die shoe and an anvil element 16 mountedon the lower.

die shoe. A terminal 18 having a tubular staking portion 20 ispositioned in alignment with the punch and in alignment with an opening24 in the terminal board. The terminal 18 is the lead terminal of achain of terminals 22. In operation of the staking machine, the punch isdriven downwardly to engage the terminal and carry the terminal towardsthe terminal board whereupon the tubular portion 20 is moved through theopening 24 in the terminal board and into contact with anvil 16. Thepunch is then moved further downwardly to take over the tubular portion.

The cut-off device 10, which is mounted on the lower die shoe, isactuated by a cam 26 mounted on the upper die shoe to sever the terminal18 from the chain 22 after engagement of the terminal by the punch 14and before driving the projecting portion 20 through the opening 24 inthe terminal board.

Referring now specifically to FIGURES 1 and 2, the cut-off device 10includes a support yoke 28 which serves as a base. The yoke 28 isfixedly mounted on the lower die shoe of a punch press. The yoke 28comprises a pair of upstanding spaced apart side walls 30, 32interconnected at the forward portion thereof by a bottom wall 34. Arecess 36 is provided in the bottom wall 34 for reception of the lowerend of a spring 37. An upstanding ear 38, 40 is provided on the rearwardportion of each side wall 30, 32. Openings are provided in the ears toreceive an axle 42 on which is pivotally mounted a carrier member 44.The axle 42 is held in place by set screws 46, 48.

The carrier member 44 is received in the space between the side walls30, 32 and extends for substantially the length thereof. The carriermember 44 comprises a pair of upstanding spaced apart side walls 50, 52interconnected by a bottom wall 54. A recess 60 is provided in thebottom wall and forms a guideway for the terminal chain 22. An upwardlyextending ear 56, 58 is provided on the rearward end of each of the sideWalls, The cars have openings therethrough, through which the axle 42projects. A recess 62 is provided in the underside of the bottom wall 54in alignment with the recess 36 provided in the support yoke 28 andreceives the upper end of the spring 37. The spring 37 biases thecarrier to the position illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. A pair of stopmembers 63, 65 are provided on the support yoke 28 to limit upwardmovement of the carrier.

A cutting blade holder 64 is secured on the upper edges of the sidewalls 50, 52 of the carrier member 44 at the forward end thereof bymeans of screws 66. The holder 64 is accurately located by means of adowel pin 70 and projections 72 which are received in notches providedin the side walls of the carrier. A recess 74 is provided on theunderside of the holder 64 forwardly and centrally thereof. A cuttingblade 76 is secured in the recess by means of a screw 78. The forwardend of the cutting blade extends outwardly from the recess 74 so as toproject forwardly of the holder.

The cutting face of the blade 76 is concave and comprises an upperforwardly and downwardly inclined portion 80 and a lower generallyvertical portion 82. The concave cutting edge 84 results in a curved cutof the terminal 18 from the chain 22. Flat narrow portions 86, 88 adjointhe concave portions 80, 82 to form the marginal edges of the cuttingface.

The blade 76 coacts with a fixed cutting blade 90 which is integral witha U-shaped member 92. The member 92 is mounted on the support yoke 28 byscrews 93 and extends around the forward portions of the carrier 44 andthe holder 64. A groove 94 extends forwardly from the cutting blade 90.The groove 94 serves to receive. the terminal 18 after it has beensevered from the chain 22. The cutting face 96 of the blade 90' isconvex to mate with the concave portion 82 of the blade 76. The cuttingedge 96 consequently mates with the cutting edge 84 to result in thedesired curved cut. It will be noted that the surface portion 80 of thecutting blade 76 falls away from the cutting face 96 to thus provide arelief for the terminal which is severed from the chain.

An actuator element 100 is provided to drive the carrier 44 andconsequently the cutting blade 76 downwardly to sever the terminal 18from the chain 22. The actuator 100 is L-shaped. One leg 102 normallyrests on the carrier 44. The forward end of the leg 102 is received in arecess 104 provided in the holder 64, The leg 102 is pivotally connectedto the holder 64 by means of a pin 106. The other leg 108 extendsupwardly and has, on one side thereof, a cam follower roller 110. Thecam follower 110 is in alignment with the cam 26. A spring 112 extendsbetween pins 114, 116 mounted respectively on the actuator 100 andsupport yoke 28. The spring 112 biases the actuator 100 into theposition shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2.

Operation of the device may now be understood by reference to FIGURES3-6. FIGURE 3 illustrates the condition of the cut-off device andassociated components before the cutting operation takes place. It willbe noted that the forward end of the carrier 44 is inclined slightlyupwardly as is the forward end of the chain 22. This arrangement permitsfeeding of the chain 22 forwardly without interference with the U-shapedmember 92.

Referring to FIGURE 4, upon initiation of a cycle, the Punch element 14and cam 26 descend, respectively, towards the terminal 18 and camfollower 110. The punch 14 has a pick-up pin 118 which enters thetubular portion of the terminal 18 and seats the terminal in the groove94. At the same time, the cam 26 engages the cam follower 110. It willbe noted that the cam 26 has an upwardly inclined lower cam surface 120and a downwardly inclined upper cam surface 122. When the lower camsurface 120 contacts the cam follower 110, the actuator 100 tends topivot clockwise about the pin 106 as viewed in FIGURE 4. When the cam 26engages the follower 110, clockwise movement is not possible and thecarrier 44 and actuator 100 are pivoted downwardly about axle 42 to movethe follower out of the path of the cam. Downward pivoting of thecarrier compresses spring 37 and moves cutting blade 76 past cuttingedge 96 of blade 90 to sever the lead terminal 18 from chain 22.

As shown in FIGURE 5, after the cam 26 has passed by the cam follower110, the carrier 44, holder 64 and actuator 100 are free to return totheir initial positions. The spring 37 biases these components back tothe original position. Further downward movement of the punch 14 resultsin driving the terminal 18 downwardly. The punch 14 has a fiat surface124 which is spaced from but in alignment with the fiat surface 126 ofthe member 92. The portion 128 of the terminal 18 is wiped between thesesurfaces resulting in a substantially bend in the terminal.

Further downward movement of the punch 14 results in staking theterminal 18 to the board 12 as shown in FIG. 6. Upon the upward returnstroke of the punch 14 and cam 26, the upper surface 122 of the camcontacts the cam follower 110'. This tends to pivot the actuatorcounter-clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 6. The actuator pivots in thecounter-clockwise direction without effecting any movement of thecarrier 44. Consequently, the cam 26 is allowed to pass by the actuator100 upon the upward stroke without causing any movement of the carrier44. When the cam 26 has passed by the cam follower 110, the spring 112causes the actuator 100 to return to the position illustrated in FIGURE3.

After the punch 14 has risen above the cutting blades, the chain 22 isfed forwardly to place a new terminal in position for staking. Uponreturn of all the components to the position illustrated in FIGURE 3,the cycle may be repeated.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A cut-off device for severing a terminal from a chain of terminalscomprising means for supporting a chain of terminals, a fixed cuttingblade structure, a movable cutting blade structure to coact with thefixed blade structure to sever a terminal from the chain, an actuatormounted on the movable cutting blade structure, cam structure inoperable relation to the actuator, means to drive said cam structurethrough a forward stroke and a return stroke, said cam structurecontacting said actuator on both strokes, said actuator being operablyconnected to the movable blade structure upon contact thereof by the camstructure on the forward stroke to cause severing of a terminal andoperably disconnected from the movable blade structure upon contactthereof by the cam structure on the return stroke.

2. A cut-off device for severing a terminal from a chain of terminalscomprising means for supporting a chain of terminals, a fixed cuttingblade structure, a movable cutting blade structure positioned to coactwith the fixed blade structure to sever a terminal from the chain, anactuator pivotally mounted on the movable cutting blade structure, saidactuator being free to pivot in one direction and contacting and drivingsaid movable blade structure to coact with the fixed blade structure tosever a terminal from the chain upon movement tending to pivot saidactuator in the other direction, cam structure in operable relation tothe actuator, means to drive said cam structure through a forward strokeand a return stroke, said cam structure driving the actuator and movableblade structure in said other direction on the forward stroke to causesevering of a terminal and pivoting the actuator in said one directionaway from the movable blade structure on the return stroke.

3. A device as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in theprovision of a base, said movable blade structure comprising a carrierpivotally mounted on the base, a cutting blade on said carrier, saidactuator being pivotally mounted on said carrier and contacting andpivoting said carrier on the forward stroke of the cam structure andpivoting away from the carrier on said return stroke of the camstructure.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 and further characterized in that saidcarrier includes the means for supporting the chain of terminals, meansfor successively moving the endmost terminal of the chain into positionfor severing from the chain, spring means biasing said carrier to aposition offset from said fixed cutting blade 5 structure, whereby saidchain of terminals may be moved without interference with the fixedblade structure.

5. A device as defined in claim 3 and further characterized in that saidactuator comprises an L-shaped member having one leg normally resting onthe carrier, said one leg being pivotally mounted at one end to thecarrier, the other leg of said actuator extending away from the carrier,and a cam follower on the end of said other leg for engagement with saidcam structure.

6. A device as defined in claim 5 and further characterized in that saidcam structure comprises a cam element having a pair of oppositelydisposed, oppositely inclined cam surfaces, one of said cam surfacescontacting said cam follower upon the forward stroke of the cam and theother of said cam surfaces contacting said cam follower on the returnstroke.

7. A device as defined in claim 5 and further characterized in theprovision of spring means biasing said actu- References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3/1934 Yates 83-611 1/1959 Rosenberg 83-610 X JAMES M.MEISTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

